1. Consider what you are doing that isn’t effective. Do you make many mistakes? Does it tire you out? Would you rather go to the dentist for a root canal than complete the task? Get real with yourself and stop doing these tasks. Find someone else to do them faster, better or cheaper than you can.

2.  Stop learning how to do things that aren’t high ROI (Return on Investment). I always tell people that I make it a point NOT to learn how to update my website. If I don’t know how then I won’t be tempted to try to figure it out. It’s a waste of my time and money to do it myself and I know better. There are very good website development businesses out there who could give you a cost-effective alternative.

3.  Become ruthless. It can be a lot of little seemingly insignificant things that add up to big time wasters. If you were determined to create more time for what’s important then what would you cease doing immediately? Buying office supplies? Figuring out whom to do your product distribution? Doing all those social marketing posts?

4.  Create an exit strategy. For the bigger roles that you are more integrated into (like project managing or handling the operations) you may need to follow the steps of many successful CEOs and create an exit plan from these tasks – what can you do over the next 6 months to replace yourself in that role?

5.  Change your mind about what’s important. If you are a control freak or regularly find yourself holding on to something because no one can do it as well as you, then it may be time for a reality check. I guarantee that in one Coaching Session I’d be able to find at least 10 tasks or roles that you could get off your plate. So start being realistic about what you can really accomplish and remove yourself from the rest of it.

Be willing to clear the decks of everything that is getting in your way of the most important things. When you look around at the people who really do enjoy a lifestyle business, who make consistent income in the high 6, 7 or 8 figures and are enjoying some level of sanity in the process, you’ll see that they never try to do everything and often they do very little. Sir Richard Branson said in an interview once that it is easier for him to run his multiple billion dollar companies today than it ever was to run a small company.

Something tells me he figured out how to remove himself from a lot of tasks! This analogy is important in realising that there is more to business than just doing it all yourself. You may actually start enjoying being in business again. Remember that with the right information and expectations communicated to others the tasks can be done just as well or even better than you. Try thinking outside the square and think of virtual assistants that can help with on- and offline tasks or even get interns to help out when certain tasks need to be performed, usually at no extra cost to you as these people need the experience.

Well, imagine that you have to hammer a nail in the wall. That is easy right? You use a nail and ………. A chainsaw!

“What”? You say.

Yes that is the tool that has been given to you.

“What do you mean”? You say.

Well there is nothing wrong with a chainsaw. It is a perfectly good machine. It does what it is meant to do and that is to cut down trees, branches, etc. …. It is the tool that you have been given in the past.

“Well what has that got to do with hitting a nail in the wall?”

Well if you use this analogy in your business you will see that you may have been using the wrong tool all along. If you have been wondering why your business seems to be slowing down, stagnating or not attaining you expectations then it may be that you have not used the right tools to get your business to the next level.

I have used one of the most important tools to get a client of mine an extra $400k of turnover. How did I do this? I asked questions.

That’s right questions are far more powerful that telling people. If you use empowering questions like where do you think a market may exist outside your industry? This type of question gets the brain juices flowing and leads to more questions so that a clear image can be formed. These questions leave the other person with thoughts about solutions to problems and issues rather than getting his or her hackles up.

Disempowering questions would not work as they convey a negative aspect to them.

For example, why did you not finish the project? Has a clear accusatory tone to it and leaves the person squirming and uncomfortable.

Here a better question may have been “what has prevented you from completing the job?” this is clearly better as it allows the person to expand on why the job has not been completed. There may be extenuating circumstances that may have led to the incomplete project. It also gives the opportunity for feedback on a project.

Once you have used questions to ascertain where are going then it is vitally important to use the next important tool and that is communication. If you can clearly communicate what your vision and expectations are of a particular task  to the right people, then you will have people who will be willing and able to complete that task.

So keep in mind that in order to get you business growing and making it a great place to work, then ask more questions of people rather than telling them what to do. In addition if you clearly communicate your expectations you will have the staff doing what is expected of them.

So what are you waiting for? Get out and ask more questions

Obviously, as the business owner and leader, you have a unique stake in the success or failure of the business because it is tied to you as an individual. You therefore go though the tough times filled with the excitement of what is to be once your vision for the future is realised.

“Business Strategic Objective” is an entrepreneurial exercise that forces you to describe with conviction what your business is all about. You, as the leader, must be clear about where you want the business to go, and what it will look and feel like when your vision is realised. Why is this concept so important? That is because you are not alone on this journey. Your employees will also require this level of clarity if they are to commit to going there with you.

Your People Strategy

After developing your Business Strategic Objective, you are then faced with the task of taking it to the next level. This includes communicating your vision to, and getting buy-in from, all of your staff members. This is where it gets challenging. As employees of the business, they will not have the same relationship to the business as you do, and will therefore not have the inherent personal connection that drives you.

So how do you motivate them to take a personal interest in, and ownership of, the goals and objectives presented in the Business Strategic Objective? The answer is that you must strive to understand their needs, and then position the opportunities within your business so that it touches them on a personal level.

What Employees Want

Any company has the potential to be a source of personal satisfaction for the people that work there. And your business is not exempt from this important aspect, no matter what the product or service it provides, be it cleaning services, adventure travel or dentistry.

Take a step back and think about it from an employees’ perspective – would you want to work for your company? Wouldn’t you want to know such things as whether personal and professional growth opportunities were available; whether other employees were proud to work there; and how the business is known and understood by its competitors, customers, and suppliers?

Think back on your own work experiences: How did you feel when you worked for a company that you truly believed in? And what was it like to work in a company that simply provided you with a pay check? The bottom line for most employees is not just about the money, it’s also about personal fulfilment and achievement.

Fulfilling Needs, Reaching Goals

In order to engage your employees in your Business Strategic Objective, you must concentrate on their needs and find something about the business that will provide personal satisfaction for them. Maybe it will be in the customer focus systems that you have created, or your unique company culture, or the exciting projects they are assigned based on their individual skill sets. Take the opportunity to find out more about them as individuals, and what drives them, what turns them off. Then review your Business Strategic Objective and make sure you have created opportunities that will attract the right people.

Remember, the business must not only serve you. In order for it to be truly amazing, it also must serve those who work in it. Engaging employees in your Business Strategic Objective should be seen as an important, strategic, and necessary task to successfully reach your goals. Not only are fully engaged employees beneficial to the business, they will also be more actively involved with their families and community. These happy employees can certainly help the business with future referrals coming into the business.

1. An entrepreneur is an inventor. Not all inventors are entrepreneurs though. What do I mean exactly?, well entrepreneurs look at the world with open eyes and and asks “what’s missing?”. Once identified the entrepreneur thinks about how to fix this gap. What an Entrepreneur does next is to create a new business instead of new products.

2. Entrepreneurs do not buy business opportunities, they create them. Sorry guys, this includes franchises. You may be successful in a franchise, but your creative juices are stifled by the rules of the franchise. For the true entrepreneur who is creative he/she will be doomed to disappointment as the entrepreneurial passion is doused by the rigours of the franchisor. Franchises can become successful jobs for those that buy them.

3.Invention is contagious. People love the feel good factors involved when other people experience their invention (business). The more significant the invention the more likely it is to succeed.

4. An entrepreneur measures the success of the business by its growth. The faster it grows, the better the invention. It shows that people love to interact with this business. Those that do not experience this growth should not continue as less and less people will want to interact with it and will ultimately lead to financial ruin.

5. Everyone can become an entrepreneur. Everyone can create and develop an new invention if they follow their passion. In order to achieve this an entrepreneur needs to develop patience while developing the skill to drive the invention forward. This calls for the practice of developing new business ideas before actually implementing them. Entrepreneurs are made, not born.

From the above it is clear that many business owners are not entrepreneurs. Many business owners actually own a job that pays for their current lifestyle. It is important to realise that entrepreneurs create businesses for their clients and staff. They create a culture that everyone wants to be part of and are excited by it every day. When this happens the entrepreneur can stand aside and let his business boom with him/her only steering the business in the right direction.

The key to success is to answer all of the questions in enough depth that if a friend asked you to invest in this business, you’d say yes. Most importantly, make sure you record your business plan somehow…whether you write it by hand, type it into your computer, or put it on sticky notes on your wall. Keep it some place handy where you can refer to it when you are making important business decisions. And, make sure you review it monthly–or, even better, weekly–and update it at least annually.

1. Your Dreams: What do you want your business to provide for you? (think time, money, freedom, who you work with) Be specific–how much money, how many hours, when do you want to “retire”.
2. Customers: Who are your customers and what do they want/need?
3. Your Products and Services: What products/services will you provide to meet customer’s needs?
4. Markets: Where are your customers and what do you know about them as a group? “Where” might be geographic, it might be what kind of places they hang out, or where they go to find products or services like yours. What is their age, income, gender, hobbies, family structure, etc?
5. Your Style: How will you reach customers and what will you say? Your method of reaching customers needs to match with where your customers are–and with a message that they can relate to.
6. Competitors: Where else are your customers likely to get this need met? Find out all you can about how your competitors price, market, and provide service.
7. Your Uniqueness: How will your product/service meet customer’s needs differently than your competitors? Consider how your personal uniqueness impacts that.
8. Your Abilities: Of the skills necessary to run your business, what do you do well, and what do you need help with?
9. External Resources: What people/technology/services will support you in the skills you need help with?
10. Fulfilling your Dreams: How will your business provide the kind of working environment you desire, both in how much time you spend, how you perform your work, and how much money you make? Here’s where the rubber meets the road–make sure you can show how you will sell X amount of product or service at Y price, cover your expenses, and reach the goals you set in 1. Above.

Once you can answer all these questions, have it reviewed by some trusted, experienced professionals who will give you objective feedback. Consider a business coach, as one such resource

There isn’t anything more frustrating than getting a business card and not being able to tell what the person does when you look at. It just seems like such a waste of time, money, paper, energy (theirs that went into creating it and yours trying to remember who they are), and it does nothing to support the bringing about of more business.

So if your business card just says your name, phone number, and website, it’s time to raise the bar!

If your business card matches your branding that’s great, but that does NOT need to be the first priority. I have never, ever, ever heard of ANYONE saying, “Oh, I couldn’t hire that person because their business card just didn’t match the rest of their branding.”

Holding yourself back from networking or using your business card in any way because it does not “match,” is speaking more to an inner block that’s operating for you than anything else. This is an excuse. So let’s shift this energy from excuse to execution and look at ways this card will work marketing magic for you, ok?

All that matters is that your business card serves as an attractor factor to your ideal client. Sometimes all you get is that one, quick opportunity to ‘speak’ to your ideal client. I would highly recommend you make it compelling. It’s as simple as that.

Here are some ways to have your business card speak (and work marketing magic) for you:

• Be sure your title speaks about what you do.

• Ask a compelling question that speaks directly to your ideal client.

• Dare to use the words: You, Your, You’re and the like on your card.

• TELL the reader to go to your website.

• TELL the reader what they’ll get when they get there.

• TELL them it will be for free.

• Use the back of the card.
• Use embossed print (make it physically stand out).
• Assure the reader that you can solve their problems, e.g. “you can”, “guaranteed”, “promise”, “be assured”, etc.

Better Business Strategies Call To Action:

Take your business card in your hand.

Look at it.

Does it truly speak of YOU and all the uniqueness that you offer in your business? Does it look different from all the other cards out there or the same?

Now, how do you FEEL when you look at your card? Do you feel the energy of your business’ Core Value Offer?

Do you feel proud when you hand someone your card or do you instantly apologize?

Make whatever changes you need to make to this simple, highly effective marketing tool, so every time you hand your card to someone your heart sings with the joy that is your business and then let that energy jump-start every ideal client match.

For more help on your card or other marketing help please call us now.

Do New Zealanders lack the skills needed to run their businesses well?

By our rate of business ownership, Kiwis are the most entrepreneurial people in the world, but this doesn’t mean we’re always well-prepared for the daily challenges of running a business. This is as true for those focusing on domestic markets as it is for companies going global. Indeed, we think improving the management skills of our exporters is central to improving our international competitiveness.

How can a mentor help my business?

Mentors have experience in operating and developing a business. They can be a sounding board for problems, help you look at the big picture and offer guidance to tackle some of the challenges growth creates. Mentors also have business networks you can tap into.

What skills or services do mentors offer?

Experience. They may share some of their mistakes so you don’t fall into similar traps. They can help focus your business goals and offer advice on strategies to achieve them. Remember, though, that a mentor is a business coach and doesn’t replace the need to get specialist advice from lawyers, accountants or bank managers.

Better Business Strategies can help in attaining your goals and having a business to sell upon exit.

Call us now if you think that mentoring would help you.

Original article: Top tips: Mentors give helping hand